Charles Severance Will Stay In Jail Unless Bond Is Posted

The man considered a person of interest in three Alexandria murders is being held in a West Virginia jail.

The man authorities say may be a person of interest in connection with three high-profile murders in Alexandria reappeared in court for a bond hearing this afternoon in West Virginia.

Charles Severance will remain in a West Virginia jail unless he can produce a $100,000 bond. Ohio County Prosecutor Scott Smith told a Circuit Court judge today that Alexandria law enforcement officials wanted to interview Severance. That prompted him to seek asylum from the Russian Embassy and later flee to Wheeling.

Alexandria Police spokeswoman Crystal Nosal says of today's bond hearing, "It doesn't change the way we are doing our investigation. We don't have warrants for him at this point, so we are not going to be rushing over there with something different."

The prosecutor says Severance is a flight risk and a danger to the community. But an attorney representing Severance says his arrest in Wheeling was a "sham."

The 53-year-old Severance was a fringe candidate in three elections here in Alexandria, where people remember him as an eccentric who wore all black to candidate forums with sunglasses and gloves.

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